Suella Braverman slapped down EU commissioner Ylva Johansson after the bloc attempted to meddle in the UK’s new small boats legislation. The Home Secretary spoke with Ms Johansson about the UK’s incoming laws, which will see Britain crack down on illegal immigration. The EU commissioner told Ms Braverman that she thought the Bill would be unlawful.
But the Home secretary hit back telling her that Britain is “free to determine our own borders and migration policy” as it is no longer a member of the EU, adding: “We believe our measures to be lawful.”
The Government’s plans will stop asylum, modern slavery, and human rights laws being used by migrants who have breached Britain’s borders.
Ms Braverman pledged to end the “wave” of illegal migrants that are entering Britain, saying that the problem is costing the taxpayer £6 million per day.
Giving a statement to the House of Commons on Monday, she said the volume of illegal arrivals has “overwhelmed” the UK asylum system, warning that the UK has “seen a 500 percent increase in small boats crossings in two years.”
Speaking to ITV, Ms Braverman said: “I was very pleased to talk to Ylva yesterday before I made my speech and I explained to her in quite general terms the measures that we were proposing and she did express to me she thought that they would be unlawful.
“I invited her to read the detail, and I am very happy to speak to her about the detail of the bill.
“But we are no longer members of the European Union and so we are free to determine our own borders and migration policy and we believe our measures to be lawful, proper, necessary, compassionate and the fair thing to do, and that’s why we’re moving forward with them.”
She added: “I am very confident that we’re going to have a deterrent effect – that’s one of the key themes in our bill. We want to make it clear to those people to who you spoke that if they get on a dinghy and arrive in the UK illegally they will be detained and removed.
“We are no longer members of the European Union so we are free to determine our own borders and migration policy and we believe our measures to be lawful.”#
